This talk will be led by Louise Brookes, a Founder and Executive Director of Ramsgate Space CIC, who brings over 15 years of expertise in town centre revitalisation and a track record of transforming empty shops across the UK into thriving community assets. She will introduce other members of the team with equally impressive credentials on the night.
Ramsgate Space is a grassroots initiative working to bring Ramsgate’s empty shops back into use quickly, creatively, and with long-term ambition. Louise and her team will explore how they are using pop-ups, testing trading, and cultural events to activate disused spaces while building a pipeline toward more permanent solutions.
Alongside stories from Ramsgate Space HQ and other early interventions, the talk will look at the structural barriers to reuse; from fragmented ownership to slow legislation, and discuss what tools, funding streams, and policy changes could unlock further progress. As more towns grapple with high street decline, they will consider what regeneration really means at street level, and how local people can help shape it.
As part of the evening, they will invite attendees to take part in a short interactive activity: “Shops We Miss, Spaces We Imagine.” You’ll have the chance to share memories of much-missed local shops and contribute your ideas for how empty spaces in Ramsgate could be used in the future. Your insights will help inform the ongoing work of Ramsgate Space CIC.
We believe this is such an important talk that we are transferring to a larger venue at the Oddfellows Hall 142 High St, Ramsgate CT11 9TY so there should be no problem fitting everyone in but we must still ask you to pay £3 to book your place.
Doors open at 6:30pm with a bar open for refreshments and the talk will run from 7pm to 8pm.
